“Half-Caste” Introduction

• Read the full text of “Half-Caste”

“Half-Caste” Summary

“Half-Caste” Themes

• 

  The Ignorance and Absurdity of Racism

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-56

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Half-Caste”

• Lines 1-3

  Excuse me ...
  ... I'm half-caste

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 4-6

  Explain yuself ...
  ... yu say half-caste

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-9

  yu mean when ...
  ... a half-caste canvas/

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 10-12

  explain yuself ...
  ... yu say half-caste

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-18

  yu mean when ...
  ... nearly always half-caste

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 19-23

  in fact some ...
  ... ah rass/

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 24-26

  explain yuself ...
  ... yu say half-caste/

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 27-32

  yu mean when ...
  ... a half-caste symphony/

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 33-41

  Explain yuself ...
  ... offer yu half-a-hand

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 42-49

  an when I ...
  ... cast half-a-shadow

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 50-53

  but yu must ...
  ... of yu mind

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 54-56

  an I will ...
  ... of my story

  

  

  

  

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“Half-Caste” Symbols

• 

  Clouds and Sunlight

  Where this symbol appears in the poem:

  • Lines 13-22: “yu mean when light an shadow / mix in de sky / is a half-caste weather/ / well in dat case / england weather / nearly always half-caste / in fact some o dem cloud / half-caste till dem overcast / so spiteful dem dont want de /     sun pass”

“Half-Caste” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Aporia

  

  

  

  

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  Where aporia appears in the poem:

  • Line 4: “Explain yuself”
  • Lines 5-6: “wha yu mean / when yu say half-caste”
  • Lines 7-10: “yu mean when picasso / mix red an green / Is a half-caste canvas/ / explain yuself”
  • Lines 11-12: “wha yu mean / when yu say half-caste”
  • Lines 13-15: “yu mean when light an shadow / mix in de sky / is a half-caste weather/”
  • Lines 24-32: “explain yuself / wha yu mean / when yu say half-caste/ / yu mean when tchaikovsky / sit down at dah /     piano / and mix a black key / wid a white key / is a half-caste symphony/”
  • Lines 33-34: “Explain yuself / Wha yu mean”

• Irony

  

  

  

  

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  Where irony appears in the poem:

  • Lines 7-9: “yu mean when picasso / mix red an green / Is a half-caste canvas/”
  • Lines 13-22: “yu mean when light an shadow / mix in de sky / is a half-caste weather/ / well in dat case / england weather / nearly always half-caste / in fact some o dem cloud / half-caste till dem overcast / so spiteful dem dont want de /     sun pass”
  • Lines 27-32: “yu mean when tchaikovsky / sit down at dah /     piano / and mix a black key / wid a white key / is a half-caste symphony/”
  • Lines 39-49: “an when I'm introduced to you / I'm sure you'll understand / why I offer yu half-a-hand / an when I sleep at night / I close half-a-eye / consequently when I dream / I dream half-a-dream / an when moon begin /     to glow / I half-caste human being / cast half-a-shadow”

• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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  Where metaphor appears in the poem:

  • Lines 7-9: “yu mean when picasso / mix red an green / Is a half-caste canvas”
  • Lines 13-15: “yu mean when light an shadow / mix in de sky / is a half-caste weather”
  • Lines 27-32: “yu mean when tchaikovsky / sit down at dah /     piano / and mix a black key / wid a white key / is a half-caste symphony”

• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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  Where allusion appears in the poem:

  • Line 7: “picasso”
  • Line 27: “tchaikovsky”

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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  Where repetition appears in the poem:

  • Line 3: “half-caste”
  • Lines 4-7: “Explain yuself / wha yu mean / when yu say half-caste / yu mean when”
  • Line 9: “Is a half-caste canvas”
  • Lines 10-13: “explain yuself / wha yu mean / when yu say half-caste / yu mean when”
  • Line 15: “is a half-caste weather”
  • Line 18: “half-caste”
  • Line 20: “half-caste ”
  • Lines 24-27: “explain yuself / wha yu mean / when yu say half-caste/ / yu mean when”
  • Line 30: “black key”
  • Line 31: “white key”
  • Line 32: “is a half-caste symphony”
  • Lines 33-38: “Explain yuself / Wha yu mean / Ah listening to yu wid de keen / half of mih ear / Ah looking at u wid de keen / half of mih eye”
  • Line 41: “half-a-hand”
  • Line 43: “half-a-eye”
  • Lines 44-45: “when I dream / I dream half-a-dream”
  • Lines 48-49: “half-caste human being / cast half-a-shadow”
  • Lines 51-53: “wid de whole of yu eye / an de whole of yu ear / and de whole of yu mind”

• Colloquialism

  

  

  

  

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  Where colloquialism appears in the poem:

  • Line 23: “ah rass”

• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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  Where enjambment appears in the poem:

  • Lines 5-6: “mean / when”
  • Lines 7-8: “picasso / mix”
  • Lines 8-9: “green / Is”
  • Lines 11-12: “mean / when”
  • Lines 13-14: “shadow / mix”
  • Lines 14-15: “ sky / is”
  • Lines 16-17: “case / england”
  • Lines 17-18: “weather / nearly”
  • Lines 19-20: “cloud / half-caste”
  • Lines 21-22: “de /     sun”
  • Lines 25-26: “mean / when”
  • Lines 27-28: “tchaikovsky / sit”
  • Lines 28-30: “dah /     piano / and”
  • Lines 30-31: “ key / wid”
  • Lines 31-32: “key / is”
  • Lines 35-36: “keen / half”
  • Lines 37-38: “keen / half”
  • Lines 40-41: “understand / why”
  • Lines 42-43: “night / I”
  • Lines 44-45: “dream / I”
  • Lines 46-47: “begin /     to”
  • Lines 47-48: “glow / I”
  • Lines 48-49: “ being / cast”
  • Lines 50-51: “ tomorrow / wid”
  • Lines 54-55: “yu / de”
  • Lines 55-56: “half / of”

• Pun

  

  

  

  

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  Where pun appears in the poem:

  • Lines 13-22: “yu mean when light an shadow / mix in de sky / is a half-caste weather/ / well in dat case / england weather / nearly always half-caste / in fact some o dem cloud / half-caste till dem overcast / so spiteful dem dont want de /     sun pass”
  • Lines 48-49: “I half-caste human being / cast half-a-shadow”

• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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  Where consonance appears in the poem:

  • Line 1: “Excuse”
  • Line 3: “caste”
  • Line 4: “Explain”
  • Line 6: “caste”
  • Line 7: “picasso”
  • Line 8: “mix”
  • Line 9: “caste canvas”
  • Line 10: “explain”
  • Line 12: “caste”
  • Line 14: “mix,” “sky”
  • Line 15: “caste”
  • Line 16: “case”
  • Line 18: “caste”
  • Line 19: “cloud”
  • Line 20: “caste,” “overcast”
  • Line 21: “so spiteful dem dont”
  • Lines 21-22: “de /     sun pass”
  • Line 23: “rass”
  • Line 24: “explain”
  • Line 26: “caste”
  • Line 27: “tchaikovsky”
  • Line 30: “mix,” “black key”
  • Line 31: “wid,” “white key”
  • Line 32: “caste,” “symphony”
  • Line 33: “Explain”
  • Line 35: “keen”
  • Line 37: “keen”
  • Line 40: “understand”
  • Line 41: “half,” “hand”
  • Line 43: “close”
  • Line 44: “consequently”
  • Line 46: “an when moon begin”
  • Line 48: “half-caste human”
  • Line 49: “cast half”
  • Line 50: “come back”

• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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  Where assonance appears in the poem:

  • Line 3: “half-caste”
  • Line 6: “half-caste”
  • Line 9: “half-caste”
  • Line 12: “half-caste”
  • Line 15: “half-caste”
  • Line 18: “half-caste”
  • Line 20: “half-caste,” “overcast”
  • Line 22: “pass”
  • Line 23: “ah,” “rass”
  • Line 30: “black,” “key”
  • Line 31: “key”
  • Line 32: “half-caste symphony”
  • Line 34: “mean”
  • Line 35: “keen”
  • Line 37: “keen”
  • Line 40: “understand”
  • Line 41: “hand”
  • Line 42: “I,” “night”
  • Line 43: “I,” “eye”
  • Line 44: “consequently,” “dream”
  • Line 45: “dream,” “half,” “dream”
  • Line 46: “when,” “moon,” “begin”
  • Line 47: “glow”
  • Line 48: “half-caste,” “being”
  • Line 49: “cast half,” “shadow”
  • Line 50: “but yu must come,” “back tomorrow”

• Juxtaposition

  

  

  

  

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  Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

  • Lines 27-32: “yu mean when tchaikovsky / sit down at dah /     piano / and mix a black key / wid a white key / is a half-caste symphony/”
  • Lines 35-38: “Ah listening to yu wid de keen / half of mih ear / Ah looking at u wid de keen / half of mih eye”
  • Lines 51-56: “wid de whole of yu eye / an de whole of yu ear / and de whole of yu mind / an I will tell yu / de other half / of my story”

“Half-Caste” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Half-caste
• Caste
• Picasso
• Spiteful
• Ah rass
• Tchaikovsky
• Keen

• (Location in poem: Line 3: “half-caste”; Line 6: “half-caste”; Line 9: “half-caste”; Line 12: “half-caste”; Line 15: “half-caste”; Line 18: “half-caste”; Line 20: “half-caste”; Line 26: “half-caste”; Line 32: “half-caste”; Line 48: “half-caste”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Half-Caste”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Half-Caste” Speaker

“Half-Caste” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Half-Caste”

More “Half-Caste” Resources

• External Resources

  • A Biography of John Agard — Learn more about the poem's author.

  • John Agard Reads "Half-Caste" Aloud — John Agard reads his poem "Half-Caste" and talks about race.

  • John Agard Reflects on Racism — An interview with John Agard in which he speaks on his own experiences with racism in England.

  • A Guide to Creole — Learn more about the history of creole languages like that portrayed in the poem.

  • A Brief History of the Term "Half-Caste" — The abstract of this paper offers a quick overview of the term's development and history as a derogatory slur.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by John Agard

  • Checking Out Me History